Tatxo Benet: "I would never do anything to compete with Mediapro. That wouldn't be me."

BarcelonaThe Chinese investment group that controls Mediapro has decided to mark a turning point, replacing Tatxo Benet as CEO after nearly 30 years leading the company alongside the other two partners who have also departed, Jaume Roures and Gerard Romy. Where will this audiovisual giant go now? Will it remain a company with Catalan roots? We discuss this with Benet in this interview.

Mediapro's owners have decided not to renew their contract. What reasons have they given?

— Well, it's true that my contract has ended, but this was entirely expected. We drew up a contract five years ago specifically for this period. I always said I would stay on if they asked me to, to help the company. I'm not even leaving now, because I'm still working and I don't know how much longer I'll be here: we're aiming for a smooth transition, during which I'll advise them on everything. The way it's been announced makes it seem like I've given in, or that I've been fired, and that I'm now just standing around looking at the construction. No: I work every day in the office.

But the owners clearly wanted to mark a change of stage.

— My contract ended on December 31st. And it wasn't just the company's decision; it also had to be my decision to renew it. It's perfectly normal to look for alternatives. In fact, I participated in the process of finding replacements, and therefore everything was done in a very peaceful and normal way.

In any case, would he have wanted to continue?

— Look, if you're asking me the absolute truth... I'd say it was time for me to take on a different role, not such an executive one, because I've been on the front lines for many years. Now, if the company had needed me to stay because they couldn't find anyone else at the moment, then I would have stayed as long as necessary.

How would you rate Mediapro's economic situation, from 0 to 10, if you'll allow me to simplify?

— Well, this is a bad year and a transition year, because we've lost the production rights for the League, and therefore I can't rate it as remarkable or excellent, but I would give it a 6 or a 7.

The 2023 accounts indicated 35 million in profits, and the 2024 accounts show 79 million in losses, or 50 million if we deduct amortization and asset impairment.

— Yes, but this year there are many extraordinary ones that are one-offWe base our analysis on EBITDA, which indicates the company's business performance: what we bill and what we have left after deducting overhead costs. And we have maintained a stable EBITDA of around 180 million euros in recent years.

A phrase he told me in January, when I last interviewed him: "I am the guarantee that Mediapro will maintain the same spirit it had when it started." Has that guarantee been lost, then?

— We hope that, during this time, I have been able to make people understand that we must maintain the same philosophy we had. This has been the effort I have made recently. And I will continue to make it, because I insist that I am not leaving.

What will he do then?

— I will remain as an advisor to the company's management. I will be able to influence decisions, especially strategic ones, to a greater or lesser extent.

Besides Sergio Oslé, who will be the new president, there's also talk of Carlos Núñez as the future CEO. He's the executive who was ousted from Prisa when they rejected a television channel he was developing that was close to the Moncloa Palace. Does this mean that Mediapro will take over the project?

— Frankly, I don't think so. I don't think it's a project for Mediapro, and I don't think it will ever be. They hired him because Núñez was available and they thought he was a good fit, not because they're looking for a specific project. Besides, the only way to launch this TV project is to keep it very small, very small. So it would be ridiculous to be wasting time looking for someone to be the company's second-in-command just because they want to pursue a TV project that ultimately has to be a budget-friendly one.

But a project that lubricates the relationship with the PSOE.

— I have no idea what kind of relationship Carlos Núñez might have with Moncloa. I think these things are always blown out of proportion. I'm not talking about Mediapro specifically, but in general. In this country, everyone gets labeled as belonging to one side or the other. And what's worse: once you're labeled as belonging to one side, everyone else then considers you an enemy. It's the height of absurdity. I also don't think Moncloa has that much influence on our business. Mediapro works for almost all the regional companies in Spain, many of them under the PP and Vox governments.

Do you know if Sergio Oslé and Carlos Núñez will be working from Barcelona?

— I don't know. They're two people from Madrid... I think they'll spend part of their work in Madrid and part in Barcelona. I'm not worried about whether Mediapro's headquarters are in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​but rather about whether there's a real commitment. And, in fact, commitment alone isn't enough. The commitment is certainly there, but if you're not very persistent in wanting to do things here, they'll eventually leave, because the Spanish organization is concentrated in Madrid. So, it's easy to go to Madrid. But I try, from my position, to exert influence. And I'm sure their intention is to maintain the business in Barcelona as it is now and to grow it.

Another part of that interview: "What we must do is be prepared so that this company, which is a great Catalan company, continues to be so for many years." Do you think that in five years it will still be larger... and Catalan?

— It will no longer depend on me, but I hope so.

And, beyond expecting it, do you trust it?

— When I've expressed this, the response I get is always a resounding yes. Furthermore, I believe it's very good for the company, because this is also part of its DNA and its very essence. If we cease to be a Catalan company, we'll lose a significant part of our identity, and this will influence how we work.

I see it on a symbolic level. There's a large Catalan flag on the skyscraper they have in the 22@ district. Will it still be there in five years?

— I hope so. What's certain is that I won't remove it.

This year has also seen the indefinite closure of the Museum of Forbidden Art, which he personally promoted. And the Ona bookstore on Gran de Gràcia has closed. It suggests a certain personal retreat.

— Regarding the Ona bookstore on Gran de Gràcia, what happened was that Montse Úbeda, who ran it, passed away. There was very little connection between this Ona and the one on Pau Claris. At first, I wondered if we could keep it open, but it had already been closed for six or seven months. All we've done now is empty it out.

And the museum?

— The museum shouldn't be closed. The museum's situation is the result of a clear boycott, although I don't know by whom or for what reason. It was disguised as a non-existent labor dispute. And it didn't affect the museum itself, but rather two subcontracted companies. The conflict was merely an excuse to manipulate the right to protest. They kept extending the strike month after month, which included preventing people from entering the museum. When we had been like this for five or six months and attendance had dropped to 5% or 10% of normal, we realized it was impossible to continue, because no one could guarantee that this would end within a reasonable timeframe.

In any case, are there any plans to reopen it?

— Before this happened, we looked for ways to temporarily move the exhibition to other locations. We tried in Andorra. On the first day, the equivalent of the mayor came to inaugurate it, and as soon as she walked in, she saw a piece and said it couldn't go there and had to be removed. We explained that if we removed this piece, we'd have to remove them all. "Do whatever you want," she told us. So the exhibition lasted half an hour: the time it took to inaugurate it. We also had it all arranged in Bologna, and it was canceled two weeks before... All of this demonstrates the importance and value the Museum held for Barcelona. Because we were there for two years, and nothing happened: no criticism, no protests. Therefore, Barcelona was presenting itself to the world as a tolerant city capable of hosting an exhibition like this. Frankly, I've felt very abandoned by this. A few messages of support, but no real interest in saying, "Listen, how can we fix this?" I even get the feeling that for some people in the administration it's like, "Listen, it's better to get rid of something that was problematic. It'll sort itself out eventually." As if this doesn't concern the city, as if it doesn't concern the country.

During his farewell address to the employees, he said: "I will never, ever, ever do anything against Mediapro. Whatever I do, I will never do anything that competes with them." I don't know if that was a veiled message to Jaume Roures.

— No, no. Everyone is free to do what they want. I also don't know if Jaume Roures will do anything to compete against Mediapro.

He is currently in litigation against Mediapro over the ownership of a subsidiary company, Versátil Cinema, which is a production company. He wants to work in audiovisual production.

— Well, we're the ones in litigation with him... But that wasn't directed at anyone in particular. I just wanted to reassure the workers that I would never do anything to compete with Mediapro. Never. I simply couldn't, because if I did, I wouldn't be me anymore. I'd be a different person.

At that farewell, Gerard Romy, another of the founders, was by his side, and he expressed that he would have liked Roures to be there as well. What explanation did he give for not attending?

— I didn't speak to him, Gerard did. I thought it would be nice, since I was leaving, being the last of the three founders, for the three of us to be in front of the people we had worked with for almost 30 years.

It wasn't very likely he'd accept. In a recent appearance on RAC1, he didn't speak very highly of you. He suggested that if Mediapro had sued you, it was because you owed them a lot of money you'd lent them to build the museum and you didn't want to pay them back.

— I won't answer him. I didn't on the radio, and I won't now. I don't want to stir up controversy. I haven't for two years, and I'm not going to break that rule now. Let him say what he wants. I don't think it was right, but let him say what he wants. I don't care.